Why is it that some kids hesitate?
You know that they can do it. You have seen them do it before. And yet their confidence quivers at the critical moment. There is some unwanted little voice telling them to wait.
You watch your child. You will them to do what you know they can. And yet they do not hear your thoughts, only those of that unwanted voice in their head. And they falter. Perhaps they even fail. Your insides twist into a knot. You resist the urge to go help them. You really need to let them try on their own to regain their confidence. But watching them try to right themselves is positively excruciating.
Do you know what I am talking about?
Have you been there too?
After the fact, you wait for a quiet moment to talk with your kid. You try to explain why they must learn to push through those moments. Why they must not hesitate. You see the end-game. You see what a gift those strengths will be for them as adults, no matter what they end up doing or becoming.
And your kids, I fear they only hear your direct request and do not understand the broader implications. They must simply trust you. They must try to hustle, try to memorize, keep their confidence in the face of that little unwanted voice when it rises up in their heads.
And if you succeed, your child will understand why you worked to hard to help them through…. when they are grown and have little ones of their own to worry over.
